Yet another winter project Yamaha

[Scoobynut]

A long story made short. I found this in a shed in 2011. The original owner had passed away and his daughter and son-in-law were cleaning out the house. Not ridden/registered since 1980, 6,200 miles on odo. Bought it for $375.00, it even came with a title! Carbs were in an ice cream bucket, but complete. Fast forward a couple winters of working on it in fits and starts (and about $1100.00 in parts and a whole lot of elbow grease) and it's almost ready for the road, just a few minor issues to sort yet. I always wanted one of these from the first time I saw one sitting brand new in a showroom in the late '70s.

First photo shows bike as found, in shed it had lived in for 31 years.













As it sits today:

 

[GrahamD]

Very nice.

You should put 6,200 miles on it and then leave it in the shed. ;D

 

[Scoobynut]

Very nice.

You should put 6,200 miles on it and then leave it in the shed. ;D

Hmmm...that's so bizarre that I might just have to make that my goal. :

 

[rotortech71]

Awesome! ::012:: I love reading about bikes that have been hidden for decades, then rescued and restored. Nice job.

 

[bloodline]

What a wonderful find. Looking great!

 

[Scoobynut]

Awesome! ::012:: I love reading about bikes that have been hidden for decades, then rescued and restored. Nice job.

I do have a bad 'rescue' habit. I'm always afraid some punk kid is going to get a hold of one of these things and chop it, bob it, bastardize it and then destroy it, in that order.

 

[TNWalker]

Very nice! I had a 1977 model in Red. Bought it new in 78 and man what a ride. Had a tone of fun on that thing. Sadly it was totaled in a crash on my last day of high school and I never got it going again. Would be sweet to have another one to fool around with.



Steve ::022:: ::001::

 

[Scoobynut]

This is a '77 too. Very cool that you had one back in the day. Too bad it was totalled. Yep, you should definitely find another one to work on, relive the past so to speak.

 

[Scoobynut]

I'd like to get a 350 too; my friend's shop where I took the photos has a '73 RD350 and a '75 RD350 in it too, both owned by said friend. I may have to try and wrest one of them away from him.

 

[Combo]

Great find and nice restore project going on you have. ::008::
I like the blue!

These bikes were sleepers and would take down many larger CC bikes in the 1/4 mile. Friends of mine have made money with these bikes in the day.
A crazy friend of mine did good on one of these in Daytona. Guess who snake :question:

 

[snakebitten]

If I had to guess, it's the dude riding his current blue bike with one hand on the bars, a Marlboro in the other, as he is hell bent to pass any Harley.

Am I warm?

 

[Combo]

If I had to guess, it's the dude riding his current blue bike with one hand on the bars, a Marlboro in the other, as he is hell bent to pass any Harley.

Am I warm?

Burning up!

 

[Scoobynut]

I somehow found myself riding through the Black Hills during the Sturgis rally and damned if didn't become hellbent on passing Harleys too. I was pretty chilled until I realized most of the Harleys were slowing up the Winnebagos. That's a true story.

 

[Scoobynut]

IT'S ALIIIIVE! Click to play video and hear it run.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/cyrenus/IMG_04181_zpsc7de1183.mp4[/URL

 

[Koinz]

Looks and sounds great. Nice project.

 

[Scoobynut]

Thanks, it's been a lot of fun bringing it back to life and to its former glory.